Limestone County, Alabama
Limestone County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is included in the Huntsville Metropolitan Area. It is also included in the merged Huntsville-Decatur Metro Area. Its name comes from Limestone Creek, a local stream. In 2000, the population was 65,676. As of 2010 the county's population was 82,782. Its county seat is Athens. History Limestone County was established by the Alabama Territory legislature on February 6, 1818.A digest of the laws of the State of Alabama: containing the statutes and resolutions in force at the end of the General Assembly in January, 1823. Published by Ginn & Curtis, J. & J. Harper, Printers, New-York, 1828. Title 10. Chapter XII. Pages 85. An Act to establish the western and southern Boundaries of Madison County, and to establish the Counties of Limestone and Lauderdale--Passed February 6, 1818. Local government Limestone County comprises the Thirty-Ninth Judicial Circuit of Alabama. The Thirty-Ninth Judicial Circuit was created in the early 1980s when Limestone County broke away from Morgan County to form its own circuit. The Thirty-Ninth Judicial Circuit has two circuit judges and two district judges. The two circuit judges are Judge James W. Woodroof and Judge Robert M. Baker. The two district judges are Judge Jeanne W. Anderson and Judge Jerry L. Batts. The current District Attorney is Brian C.T. Jones. The current Sheriff of Limestone County is Mike Blakely, who has been sheriff for 7 terms (since 1982). The term for sheriff is 4 years, and there is no term limit. Geography According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 93.57%) is land and (or 6.43%) is water. Major highways * Interstate 65 * Interstate 565 * U.S. Highway 31 * U.S. Highway 72 * Alternate US-72/State Route 20 * State Route 99 Rail *CSX Transportation -- freight line that runs North to SouthAlabama Railway Map. 2008. Alabama Department of Transportation. Accessed 2010-12-10. *Norfolk Southern Railway -- freight line that runs East-West River *Tennessee River *Elk River Adjacent counties *Giles County, Tennessee - north *Lincoln County, Tennessee - northeast *Madison County, Alabama - east *Morgan County, Alabama - southeast across the Tennessee River *Lawrence County, Alabama - southwest across the Tennessee River (no bridges or ferries connect the two counties) *Lauderdale County, Alabama - west across the Elk River National protected area * Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (part) Demographics ; 2000 ; and 2010 http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml |1820 | 9871 |1830 | 14807 |1840 | 14374 |1850 | 16483 |1860 | 15306 |1870 | 15017 |1880 | 21600 |1890 | 21201 |1900 | 22387 |1910 | 26880 |1920 | 31341 |1930 | 36629 |1940 | 35642 |1950 | 35766 |1960 | 36513 |1970 | 41699 |1980 | 46005 |1990 | 54135 |2000 | 65676 |2010 | 82782 }} As of the 2000 census , there were 65,676 people, 24,688 households, and 18,219 families residing in the county. The population density was 45/km2 (116/sq mi). There were 26,897 housing units at an average density of 18/km2 (47/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 83.79% White, 13.33% Black or African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.14% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. 2.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. According to the the census of 2000, the largest ancestry groups in Limestone County were English 66.31%, Scots-Irish 15.12%, and African 13.33% There were 24,688 households, out of which 34.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.00% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.20% were non-families. 23.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.02. In the county, the population was spread out with 24.90% under the age of 18, 8.80% from 18 to 24, 32.10% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.80 males. The median household income in the county was $37,405, and the median income for a family was $45,146. Males had a median income of $35,743 versus $23,389 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,782. About 9.80% of families and 12.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.20% of those under age 18 and 14.60% of those age 65 or over. Points of interest Limestone County is home to Swan Creek Wildlife Management area, part of the Tennessee River, and a section of the Elk River. Athens is home to the Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention, an annual event that takes place each October, on the Athens State University campus. Cities and towns *Ardmore *Athens *Belle Mina (unincorporated) *Decatur (part - most of Decatur is in Morgan County) *Elkmont *Huntsville (part - most of Huntsville is in Madison County) *Lester *Madison (part - most of Madison is in Madison County) *Mooresville *Tanner Education * Limestone County Schools*Limestone County Schools - K-12 education for the county * Athens City SchoolsAthens City Schools - K-12 education for the city of Athens *Calhoun Community College - 2-year college located in the southern part of the county in Decatur *Athens State University - 2-year upper level university located in Athens See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Limestone County, Alabama *Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in Limestone County, Alabama References External links *Limestone County Government *Limestone County District Attorney *Limestone County Economic Development Association, Inc. promotes economic growth in the county by recruiting new businesses and industry to create jobs. *University of Alabama's Cartographic Research Laboratory Historic Aerial Photos Collection for Athens and Limestone County *University of Alabama's Cartographic Research Laboratory Historic Map Collection for Athens and Limestone County Category:Established in 1818 Category:Counties of Alabama Category:Limestone County, Alabama Category:Decatur Metropolitan Area Category:Huntsville–Decatur Combined Statistical Area